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Destination Drake’s Bay

What a difference a Bay makes. This past weekend we joined our friends, Randy and Jennifer Gridley, for a weekend ‘sail’ up to Drake’s Bay aboard their Sabre 38 Aegea. The forecast was good and the local destination ideal for a weekend great escape. The only thing missing was the sail part. Regional forecasts were for nice winds on the Bay and light winds everywhere else. However, it still made for great day for whale watching and fishing.

This fisherman appeared to have hooked the ‘catch of the day!’ The whales mingled easily with a busy offshore fishing fleet.  

latitude/John
© Latitude 38 Media, LLC

We left Sausalito at a relaxed 10 a.m., hoisted the main, and motorsailed to the Golden Gate hoping to find some breeze as the fog burned off. Neither happened. The fog and calm seas remained for the entire 6-knot, 5-hour motorsail to Drake’s Bay. Nonetheless Marin’s dramatic coastline provided a fabulous backdrop, and whale sightings became so frequent they seemed like deer in our yard. They’re always cool to spot, but the excitement diminishes while you keep your distance. 

Whales diving, dramatic coastline, calm seas — the only thing missing was a decent sailing breeze.

latitude/John
©2018 Latitude 38 Media, LLC

We anchored in 17 feet of water in the calm, protected waters behind the southern hook of Point Reyes that forms Drake’s Bay. The holding was good and the anchorage protected, making it a relaxing cruise to this nearby yet ‘remote’ destination. 

Seven million people live just 30 or so miles away from this isolated anchorage.

latitude/John
©2018 Latitude 38 Media, LLC
OK, so one other boat joined us later for the evening and left just after this morning light.

latitude/John
©2018 Latitude 38 Media, LLC

The following day we left at a comfortable 9:30 a.m. with light breeze and flat seas. Clear sun showed up at about 11, but enough wind to get us home by the end of the day never materialized. We sailed for about an hour before we finally reverted to motorsailing, along with about four other sailboats in sight that we imagine are coming in from the north on their way to Mexico. It’d be nice to join them. 

Jennifer guides us by the Potatopatch Shoal, which deserves all the respect it gets, but there are days when the sun is high, the flag hangs straight down, and the great Pacific is at rest.

latitude/John
©2018 Latitude 38 Media, LLC

We neared the Golden Gate after crossing a mill pond above the Potatopatch and watched the wind build as we joined boats enjoying a brisk sail on San Francisco Bay, the site of the only wind we saw the entire weekend. It was a great trip and reminds us of the unique sailing conditions created by the Coast Range and the single cut through it at the Gate. Offshore can be calm and peaceful while the conditions in the Slot are like the air escaping from the balloon of the entire Pacific Ocean. 

Racing doublehanded on whitecaps off Tiburon Yacht Club, Mariellen Stern’s beautiful Cinnamon Girl had more breeze than she wanted. The 26-ft Leif Beiley design was racing in the Joan Storer Regatta (more on that in Racing Sheet in the November issue of Latitude 38).

© Ian Matthew / TYC

Yes, what a difference a Bay makes. Just about any weekend you can find the conditions you desire. Great breezes to rip across the Bay, calm and warm behind the headlands or in the Estuary, or great destinations if you decide to venture offshore or farther inland to the Delta. It’s a sailors’ paradise with plenty to explore.

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This month’s Caption Contest(!) is a real doozy. Last summer on the Chesapeake, these two boats got all up close and personal.
Nothing brings me greater pleasure than tying off the tiller during a singlehanded sail, sitting back, and watching the boat work.
Picking up from Part 1 on Friday. After one of their Pearson 26s went missing (along with the skipper), the staff at Club Nautique eventually found the boat hard aground at Baker Beach, just outside the Golden Gate.